Socks: Let the Color Be Your Guide

Let the Color Be Your Guide Socks



I had a little inspiration when I was knitting up these matchy-matchy socks. But first, let me tell you about the yarn. The is Plymouth Yarn "Diversity".  I've used this yarn for socks a lot in the past. The colorway is "Multi Purple Green" (013).  Ordinarily I've had really good luck with this yarn but, this time around, there was a knot in one ball of yarn.   As a result, the stripe pattern got disturbed.  At the cuff of the sock, you can see green/pink/green/pink but down by the foot there is just one green and one pink stripe. Oh well.  I made it work.

I am calling these socks "Let the Color Be Your Guide" because I altered the texture or stitch pattern in the cuff portion whenever the color changed.  Some stripes are all knit (stockinette), some stripes are worked in k2,p2 ribbing, and the white portion of the cuff is worked in waffle stitch.

Waffle Stitch (works over a multiple of 4 stitches):

Rounds 1 and 2:  knit all stitches
Rounds 3 and 4:  *k2,p2* repeat to end of round
Repeat rounds 1 thru 4 until desired.



For these socks, I used a Fish Lips Kiss (FLK) heel; I really love this heel.  With the Diversity yarn, I always use 2.75 mm needles and cast on 52 stitches. It fits my foot perfectly.

So this is the latest project hot off my needles. I am working on a shawl/wrap called "Brickless".  I do a few rows in the morning and a few rows in the evening. I'd like to finish it soon.  I will probably cast on another pair of socks since it's nice to always have an easy pair of socks on the needles.

Cozy Winter

Cozy Winter

Here's a little snapshot of a project on my needles. I saw this pattern a few weeks back and just fell in love with it.  It's called "Cozy Winter".  Above you can see the beginning of the project. I am using Berroco "Weekend" yarn that I have had for years. I call it an oatmeal color.  Below, you can see a snapshot from my phone of the design I am making.  I just love it!



Sadly, I found a mistake in the braided cable a few days ago so I had to rip out a bunch of my work, but I will keep plugging along...

Tube Socks

Tube Socks



I've knit many, many pairs of socks but never thought to make a pair of tube socks!  This is a pattern called "After Bertha" and the pattern is from a book called "Socks, Socks, Socks".  After knitting and wearing this pair of socks, I am certain there will be more tube socks in my future.

These socks are basically a knit 3, purl 3 rib. You work knit 3, purl 3 ribbing for about three inches.  Then you start to move the position of the ribbing.  You start the next round with purl 1 and then you resume working the knit 3, purl 3 ribbing.  You work 4 rounds with the ribbing in this new position and then, after 4 rounds, you move the ribbing over one more stitch.  That is, the next round will start with purl 2, and then knit 3, purl 3 around. This creates a diagonal spiral around the sock.  To keep it simple, every 4 rounds, I adjusted all of my needles one stitch all the way around so the entire sock was still knit 3, purl 3 ribbing. I hope that makes sense.

For the toe, you pretty much do gradual decreases like you would in a hat so to that the toe is round and NOT flat.  That way, when you put these socks on, there is no right way to wear them and there is no wrong way to wear them. They are a ribbed tube with a round toe.



These are great fitting socks because of their ribbed nature.  There is no tricky heel to work.  I think these would be a great first pair of socks for those unfamiliar to sock knitting.  Also, these socks would be a great gift for just about anyone especially if you aren't quite sure what shoe size the recipient may wear.  You may just have to alter the number of stiches cast on and the size of needles.

For my socks, I used 2.25 mm needles and I cast on 66 stitches. The pattern calls for 2.75 mm needles.  For the pattern to work, you just need to cast on a multiple of 6 (ie. 54, 60, 66, 72).  The yarn I used is pretty fun, right.  This is Frabjous Fibers "Mary Ann" and the colorway is called "Pink Before You Act".  It's interesting how the yarn pooled differently in the two socks.

Bamboozle Cowl

bamboozle cowl





This is "Bamboozle" yarn by King Cole Yarns.  It's a super bulky yarn and it's just so pretty.  There are not a lot of patterns on Ravelry or elsewhere which give one guidance as to WHAT to make once you select some Bamboozle.  It's just one of those yarns that when you see it at your local yarn shop, the yarn just has to come home with you. It's THAT special and that pretty.

So I made up my own design which I think shows off the yarn quite nicely. 

The pattern is available HERE on Etsy.

The pattern is available HERE on Ravelry. Use coupon code "marchmadness" between now and March 17, 2018, and the pattern is $1.00 off on Ravelry.

Some Hats

Top This Puppy Hat



I've been knitting up a storm lately. I've been making so many things that I am not finishing things very quickly, but I do have a few finished items I've not yet posted about.  This is a hat to fit a child.  It's a kit called "Top This" by DMC.  Instead of a pom pom, each ball of yarn comes with a little stuffed item to add to the top of the hat.  Puppy, kitty, lion, elephant, flower, unicorn, soccer ball... so many choices.  This is a puppy of course.



Kodiak Kisses



Here's another hat.  This is one hat but there are different designs on each side of the hat. The pattern is adorable, isn't it? It's called "Kodiak Kisses" and the pattern can be found HERE.  Sadly my hat doesn't fit due to some problems with my fair isle technique.  Gauge might have also been an issue for me.  I do have more of both the blue and cream colored yarn. My next attempt at this project will be to cast on about 50 percent more stitches and make a cowl using the cute charts for kissing Mama and Baby Bear and trees!  The yarn is Cascade Pacific and is really soft; it's a wool/acrylic blend.

I think I am done with hats for now. I am working on an amazing project called "Cozy Winter" and it was going really well... or so I thought!  I brought to show the gals at my local knit shop yesterday and, as I was holding it up, I noticed a mistake in the braided cable.  I considered leaving the mistake in there, but I just had to rip it back.  So I ripped out 100 rows (maybe less) to fix the offending cable, and I am back on track.  I'll show you this project soon.